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Ben Rains (ChemEng’19) was named the 2026 Outstanding Alumni Mentor of the Year for his dedicated mentorship of Himaghna Kuntumalla, a graduating senior in chemical and biological engineering. A liaison for the Senior Design Projects class, Rains shares his insight to help students navigate career paths that align with their passions.

Thirteen chemical and biological engineering undergraduate students won 18 awards from the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Please click on their names to read more about our students' accomplishments.

Professor Stephanie Bryant is leading a $33.57 million federal grant to reverse osteoarthritis, and the New York Times is taking notice.

A ���� Boulder-led team has developed a suite of new therapies aimed at reversing osteoarthritis in a single injection. With animal studies showing promise and funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health extended, the team could be ready for human trials by 2028. Professor Stephanie Bryant is the principal investigator of the project.

Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth has received the Biomaterials Global Impact Award, which recognizes distinguished research and development accomplishments in the field of biomaterials. Anseth is known for developing tissue substitutes that improve treatments for conditions like broken bones and heart valve disease.

С���� Boulder researchers and partners at MIT, Harvard and Columbia are working to recreate the human liver’s complex structure in the lab. With support from a $25 million ARPA-H grant, the team aims to develop 3D-printed, transplantable liver tissue made from human cells that the body won’t reject. Professor Jason Burdick's lab at С����’s BioFrontiers Institute will lead the 3D printing component of the project.

A new light-controlled hydrogel developed at ���� Boulder mimics the movement and flexibility of real tissue, giving scientists a more realistic way to study cells and disease. The work was recently published in the journal Matter and was directed by Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth.

Dunphy's research involves studying interactions at the atomic level to design more efficient catalysts for polymer upcycling, an innovative approach for converting plastic wastes into valuable products, such as jet fuels.

Professor Michael D. McGehee and his team are advancing tandem solar cells—pairing silicon with a high-efficiency material called perovskite—that could significantly improve the economics of renewable energy. While the technology shows great promise, making perovskites durable enough for commercial use remains a key challenge. In October 2025, just as the research was gaining momentum, the Trump administration abruptly terminated the team’s federal grant.

Thad Sauvain (ChemEngr’91) recently established a legacy endowment in his estate plan to support undergraduate scholarships for С���� Boulder chemical and mechanical engineering majors, with preference for those who demonstrate a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. Sauvain credits his own time at С���� Boulder, where he earned a BS in chemical engineering, with helping him thrive both as an engineer and as a gay individual.